An Unlikely Matchmaker
by Metropolis22786
Summary: Rogue's got more knowledge than she bargained for... what will she do? Set after X2, rated T for adult themes and possible slash later on. AU, as Jean and John are still around XD
1. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Rogue didn't quite know what to do.

She had recently come into possession of some knowledge, and she wasn't sure what to do with it. It was an alien feeling. She _always _knew what to do, even if it wasn't always right.

It concerned her relationship with Bobby.

It also concerned her friendship with John.

The problem was that when she touched someone, she absorbed their memories, desires, secrets, and in the case of mutants, their powers. This is what had happened at Boston, when the three of them went to see Bobby's parents with Wolverine. Bobby's little snot of a brother had called the police, and the situation had ended with Rogue absorbing Pyro's powers, both to take him out of the fight and control the fires he had started on the four or more patrol cars. Logan hadn't been much help, but then again he'd been knocked unconscious by the force of a bullet hitting his Adamantium skull. Bobby had hit the ground like the police told him, as had Rogue, but when Pyro had seen Wolverine shot, he had gone slightly crazy. The Blackbird had set down on the road about five seconds after the fires were put out.

But it was the knowledge she had absorbed when she grabbed John's ankle that was giving her food for thought at the moment. She could feel him inside her head, and she was conducting a discussion with him.

_You never said,_ she accused.

_You never asked,_ he replied.

_Smartass. It wasn't any of my business. But why didn't you just tell him? _

_Tell him what? "Oh, by the way, Bobby? I'm madly in love with you. You're really cool?" How well do you think that would have gone over? _

_Better than you think,_ she mentally muttered to herself, forcing John to the back of her mind. Bobby stepped forward, seeking, yet again, to explain himself. One benefit of having so many voices in her head was that she could have debates and conversations all day long, and not get bored. It was also fortunate that the voices couldn't hear one another.

_I didn't mean for you to find out… this way,_ he amended, quickly. He felt her disapproval. _I was going to tell you, but… there was never a right time._

_Six months! There were six months between when Logan left and his return, and you had to freeze his hand and claim me as your girlfriend. I have to say, this is a classic case of being hoisted on your own petard. If we hadn't have kissed a second time at your parents' house I'd never have known. _

_Marie! Please! I didn't want to hurt you! It's just – people were saying that we got on so well that we were practically together just before Liberty Island._

He knew all about that, having told him when they lay curled up on one of the Rec Room sofas, being extremely careful not to let skin contact occur. Looking back, she could see that he was secretly relieved.

_I did love you, _he said, remorsefully.

_It's just that your heart belongs to another, and that person isn't even aware of it. Who is it? _

_Marie! _

_Relax, it's not like I can go and tell Bobby, is it? _

_It's John._

"Jean? Can I speak to you?"

"Sure, Rogue, what's the problem?"

"Well, it's like this. Can I be blunt?"

"So long as it doesn't concern the sex lives of the students, sure." She saw Rogue's expression, and giggled. "Relax, I was joking."

"Ummmm. It's like this. You know when I touch someone, I absorb their memories, desires, all that crap?"

Jean looked sympathetic. "I know."

"Ok, well, I recently touched two people, and now I have their thoughts, but it's their thoughts that have me really confused and I just don't know what to do!"

"Woah, slow down, Rogue. Who did you touch, and why?"

"Well, Bobby and I kissed at his house, before the incident with the patrol cars, and John when I absorbed his pyrokinesis to put out the fires he started. The first one was by choice, the second by necessity."

Jean frowned. "What knowledge are we talking about here?"

Rogue hung her head. "That's just it. I don't feel comfortable telling anyone else, but if I don't get someone's advice, I'm gonna go crazy." She paused, then looked up at Jean.

"Bobby and John are both gay, and in love, but neither know about the other."

Jean just nodded. Marie looked outraged. "You know?"

She laughed. "I happen to be telepathic. Even with shields, some of the thoughts and fantasies still get through. I've known ever since they first laid eyes on each other. It's actually rather sweet."

"But I thought he loved me!" cried Rogue.

"He does, Rogue, he does. He sees himself as your protector when Logan's not around, and he cares for you deeply. You are both obviously far more than best friends, unfortunately, he's just not interested in you in that way."

"But what about all his attempts to kiss me?"

"He had to appear one of the guys, Rogue. And as I said, he genuinely feels affection for you. However, he is extremely torn up inside over what he feels is a betrayal of your trust. My advice is to let him know that you know, and give him a chance to explain his side."

It was exactly what Rogue had expected Jean to say, and she felt slightly better about it. "So… do I break up with him?"

"I'd say that you need to let it be known that you are no longer a couple, but that you're still friends. And please, for Pity's sake, don't tell Kitty or Jubilee. It'll be all over the school in an hour."

Rogue laughed, in spite of what she was about to do. "Thanks Jean."

She walked to the door, and paused, hand on the handle.

"How do you know all these things?"

Jean smiled. "I have shields to keep people out. Other people don't. Sometimes, I just let the school's consciousness flow. It's also how I keep on top of the gossip."

Rogue smiled, then left the room.


	2. Chatting with Bobby and John

"Bobby, Can I have a word?"

it was the next day at the Institute, and Rogue had decided to talk to Bobby. He had noticed her becoming a little less…_cuddly_ than before, and she felt that he needed to know why that was.

"Sure, Rogue, what's up?"

"Uhh… in private?"

The pair slowly walked down to the gazebo overlooking the pool. It was a cool autumn day, and Rogue was well wrapped up against the cold in her favourite long-sleeved top, gloves and cargo trousers. Bobby wore a half-zip fleece and a pair of faded blue jeans, but he was obviously unaffected by the ambient temperature. They settled themselves down on the cool wood of the seat.

"I don't quite know how to say this, so I'm gonna say it bluntly," said Rogue. She turned to face him, and captured his eyes, a deep blue, with her own, rich brown. They stared at each other for a moment. Bobby was the first to look away. He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his cupped hands.

"You know," he stated. There was a slight hitch in his voice.

"Yes, I do."

"I'm so sorry, Rogue, I really-" Rogue cut him off with a gloved finger pressed gently to his lips.

"Hush your mouth, Bobby, I know how sorry you are. You've already explained." She tapped her head. "You've been driving me crazy with explanations and apologies. You and him both. I had to go and see Jean about you."

"Jean? You brought a teacher into this?"

"Bobby, I had to! I was going insane from what I thought was a callous betrayal, until Jean put it all into perspective for me. And you needn't have worried about me telling you, she already knows. I'd be surprised if there's anything she _doesn't_ know about that goes on in the Mansion."

"What do you mean, she already knows?"

"She told me that she knows you've been crushing on John ever since you saw him."

"What? Oh, _man._ This sucks. What am I going to do?"

"For a start, Bobby, calm down. I said, it's all right. The way I see it, it's not fair for you to be a relationship you don't want to be in. I appreciate that you have felt affection for me, and I don't want this to sour the good times we had, but you could have told me sooner. It wasn't fair on either me or you. Me, because you were playing me along, and you because you want something you don't think you can have."

"What, so you're breaking up with me?"

"Not really, I'm just… letting go, is all. We'll still be the best of friends, I hope."

Bobby raised his head to look at her for a few seconds, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he stood up, and took Rogue's gloved hand in his own.

"Thank you," he whispered. There were tears forming in his eyes. They embraced, unconsciously making sure that there was no skin-to-skin contact. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, and eventually broke apart. Holding both of Rogue's gloved hands in his, he sighed.

"Right then, are you going to go and put John out of his misery, or shall I?" she asked, jokingly. He looked up, a horrified expression on his face.

"Rogue!"

The others took it rather well, considering.

The majority of the students were shocked, but then decided that a tournament of _Soul Caliber 3_ was more important than one of the X-Men coming out. He was now sitting next to Storm and Jean, who were providing much-needed support. Rogue was sitting in a high-backed chair with her legs tucked delicately under her, shooting supportive looks at Bobby every so often, while Jubilee yapped on and on. Rogue finally tuned into what she's saying.

"…ot fair on you, chica, to suddenly dump you, and then declare himself _gay!_ I mean, how low can one guy get? That's just wrong on so many levels…"

And she carried on. Rogue smiled to herself, tuning Jubilee out. She'd gotten to the point where she could almost record conversations mentally, and play them back later.

"Rogue, are you even listening to me?"

"Sorry, Jubes, I zoned out there for a second. What did you say?"

"I _said_, it looks like John wants your attention." She pointed to the doorway of the rec room, where a very serious-looking John Allerdyce stood, leaning against the white-painted door frame, his intense gaze focused on her, playing with his lighter. She raised her eyebrows, in a silent question. _What's up?_

He jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen, an almost imperceptible movement. He then straightened up, and disappeared.

Well, Rogue could follow promptings as well as the next girl. She muttered to Jubilee on the way out, "I'll be back later," and made her slow way to the kitchen. When she got there, she found John pouring boiling water into two large mugs. The smell of coffee soon permeated the air, filling the chrome-plated kitchen with a delicious, welcoming atmosphere. He wasn't smiling. He folded his arms, keeping the coffee mug just above his right elbow.

"Thanks, sugar," she said, reaching for her mug. It was done just the way she liked it, a splash of milk and two sugars. She took a sip.

"Rogue," he began, his face troubled. "What is… I mean, what's… What the _hell's_ going on out there?"

"Bobby came out to the entire school after I broke up with him last week," said Rogue. She didn't like his expression. He looked a little… _unstable._

"Well, technically, you didn't _break up_ with him, did you?" he asked acidly, setting his cup down and refolding his arms. His body language was a crash course in hostility, and he was trying to stare her down. That woke up the part of Logan in her, who reared to the surface of her mind, and she reacted with instincts not her own. She returned the glare John was giving her.

"You got something to say, _bub_, just say it. You have something you want to get off your chest? I'm all ears."

With an effort, she managed to calm the Wolverine down, and he slowly receded from her mind, although not without severe misgivings. John saw the inner turmoil, and decided he wasn't in a mood to care. He took a gulp of coffee.

"If only he knew what this is doing to me. Bad enough that I had to tiptoe around you two trying not to make out, I'm now sharing a room with a closet case who hid his fag feelings behind a girl who he _couldn't touch._"

Rogue went still, hardly daring to believe her ears. "What did you say?"

"You heard!" he spat, slamming the coffee on the counter. Some of the brown liquid slopped over the sides. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything at that point, except to lash out at a world that seemed to hate him for all it was worth. If that meant that Rogue was his target, well, whatever.

"Fag feelings?" Rogue repeated. She stared hard at him, and made up her mind. If he was willing to fight dirty, so was she. "And this from someone who's been crushing on boys since sixth grade!"

John was about to explode, when Scott walked into the kitchen, pointedly ignoring the pair of them glaring daggers at each other over the breakfast bar and their raised voices. He opened the fridge, removed a six-pack of Pepsi, and returned to the rec room.

John was shaking with rage. "How dare you," he began, but was cut off by an equally furious Rogue.

"No, you bastard, how dare _you_," she snarled. "He's been torn up over you since the day you came to this school three years ago, broken, tired, hungry and alone, having to suffer the torment of watching you grow up from four feet away in the room you two share, knowing that he can never have what he wants, because 'poor little John' is straight and would run a mile if he revealed his true feelings. Let me tell you, sugar, there's four people who know what you're _really_ about in this mansion, and two are in this room. The other two would probably be a lot more diplomatic, but you don't do diplomatic, do you, _fag?_" she threw the name at him, and achieved empty satisfaction as the insult hit home.

"Cheap shot, Rogue. Real cheap," he spat.

"You want to talk about cheap, sugar? You want to talk about shots? Let me tell you about a boy called St. John. He's a real smartass, a wisecracker who just can't stop throwing sass to the teachers, all because he's a scared, lost little boy. Behind the front, there's nothing, except for a boy who's too scared to tell anyone about all his fears. He sees people talking to their friends, but can't have one himself because he's too afraid that what happened in ninth grade will repeat itself. I've had some real interesting conversations with John-" here she tapped her head, and smiled inwardly as John registered what she meant, his eyes flaring wide in horrified understanding, flashing back to that moment on Bobby's porch, -"and he's not the tough, brazen kid he tries to be. He's a sensitive, caring boy with a heart of gold, and would sacrifice himself for the people at the institute he lives with, but can't call friends because they don't know who the _real_ John is. And he's dead wrong when he thinks they wouldn't care. They would. Starting with me, perhaps, because I know John better than he knows himself."

John was still shaking, but it was from shock, rather than rage. He stumbled over to the dining table, and fell into a chair with less grace than usual. "You know."

Rogue exhaled, and her anger at him escaped her in the same breath. She felt sorry for him, not angry. She didn't understand how she could be angry. "Yeah, sugar, I know it all. Why didn't you _say anything?"_"

"You never asked," he replied. His answer was somewhat muffled, owing to the fact he had his head buried in his arms which were lying on the table. He didn't want to face her, for some reason, all the fight had gone out of him.

She laughed, and he looked at her strangely. "That's what you said before, in here," she said, tapping her temple. "I swear, I'm getting better at this. I can almost predict conversations now."

"And you've known since…"

"Since you decided to avenge an unconscious Wolverine by destroying four police cruisers in Boston, and I had to put out the fires. What made it worse is that I kissed Bobby in his bedroom after I got changed, and found out about him then. That's why I was so quiet while he talked to his parents."

His head dropped back to the table, and there was an audible thump, owing to the fact his arms had moved. He sat up, rubbing his head, and grimaced. "I suppose I deserved that," he muttered.

Rogue nodded, giggling. "That's karma for you," she said. She reached out to his shoulder with her gloved hand, and squeezed it.

"I've been a dick, haven't I?" he asked.

"Honestly?" asked Rogue. "Yeah. A prize idiot. All that matters now is that you two get your friendship back on track. You never know..."

"Never know what, Rogue?" asked Jean, coming through the kitchen with a big plate of cookies in her hands.

"Oh, nothing, Miss Grey, Me and John were just having a conversation."

John snagged two cookies from the passing plate and gave one to Rogue. He turned to look at her, brown eyes meeting brown eyes, and said, "Thank you."


	3. Revelations

Bobby was depressed. No matter that he could now be honest with himself and the other Institute residents. No matter that he had made his peace with Rogue and Jubilee and everyone else. He couldn't stop thinking about the angry exchange he'd overheard between Rogue and John in the kitchen, or the deep, affectionate hug they'd shared. That had been earlier on in the evening, and it was now quite late.

An affectionate hug that he'd never gotten from Rogue.

_She's my ex-girlfriend!_ He screamed mentally at John.

Jean twitched.

"Bobby," she said softly. "Come sit down."

She patted the space next to her on the sofa and he moved across the rec room to her. Folding his left leg under him, he flopped down, and Jean placed a hand on the back of his. Her mental voice seemed stronger with the physical contact.

_There's more here going on than you know about. Let them work it out. They'll be done in a second._ She handed him a cookie. He took it, biting into it, and subsided his mental mutterings. He sat there for perhaps ten seconds, then suddenly stood up and stormed out of the room, heading for the room he shared with John.

Once there, he walked into the ensuite bathroom, and turned on the shower. Whenever he felt depressed, he had a shower. It always helped his thinking. Shucking his clothes and opening the glass door, he stepped in, and allowed the cool water to massage his head. His blond hair was soon streaming with water. Bobby redirected the shower head against the wall, and rested his forehead on the wall, directly beneath the shower head. He turned the temperature control a few degrees to the left, turning it hotter.

The water was pure, cleansing. Hotter. He tried to remove all thoughts of Rogue and John hugging. Hotter. Steam clouds rising up, the hot water meeting his body, slightly below normal temperature. _Hotter_. Rogue had moved from the mental scene, and it was now him and John that were hugging. _Hotter_. Hugging, kissing. _Hotter_.

He needed to be what he wasn't, warm. He needed the person who he wasn't, the fire mutant. He turned the control to the limit. His skin started to turn red from the heat of the water cascading from the shower head, but Bobby didn't turn the temperature down. He wanted the heat, wanted it to claim him, make him reckless, dangerous like fire, not calm and deliberate, slow and purposeful like ice. His eyes leaked saltwater tears, as he cried for all that he could not have and all that he wanted to be. His sobs were audible over the crashing of the water.

---

John broke from the hug from Rogue, just in time to see a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye. He went back to the common room, looking for Bobby. Jean was sitting on the sofa, half a cookie lying next to her. John raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"He's gone upstairs, I think he's gone for a shower," said Jean. "His mind's a mess at the moment. Can you go and see if he's all right? He seemed pretty angry just now about something."

"Sure, Miss Grey," he said.

He exited the room, following Bobby's path to the shared room, but at a much slower pace. He walked into the main room, and he could hear the hiss of water from the shower head. The bathroom door was open, and John could see the steam clouds roiling from the cubicle. He heard quiet sobs form the shower, and it took him a second to figure out that Bobby was crying.

Bobby? Crying? That made no sense… wait, the conversation with Rogue. It flashed through his mind, one particular phrase standing out in particular.

"…_torn up over you since the day you came to this school three years ago, broken, tired, hungry and alone, having to suffer the torment of watching you grow up from four feet away in the room you two share, knowing that he can never have what he wants, because 'poor little John' is straight and would run a mile…"_

"Oh, Bobby," he whispered. "How wrong you are."

He quickly undressed, and prepared to take the biggest risk of his life, praying to all the gods he knew of and didn't believe in to let the gamble pay off.

---

The water was now thundering through the spray head, and Bobby was so wrapped up in his own private anguish that he failed to hear the glass door being opened from without. The small rush of cooler air into the large cubicle was his only warning that he was no longer alone.

A pair of arms snaked round his hips, and he felt a body press up against him from behind. The door was closed. Bobby was still leaning his head against the wall, and didn't move. He knew instantly who it was from the heat the body gave off. "John, what the fuck are you doing? Why are you in my shower?"

John didn't answer. He slowly pulled Bobby away from the wall and moved his hands up Bobby's chest, wrapping the taller boy in a tight hug from behind. He rested his head on Bobby's back, and said, "I'm sorry I've been such a retard. I thought that you'd stop being my friend if I told you I was gay."

Bobby opened his eyes. He'd had his suspicions throughout the time that he'd known John, right from the moment that John had put his small bag of belongings at the bottom of the bed all those years ago. However, vindication wasn't exactly the dominant thought at this precise moment. He wasn't sure what the hell to do. They were both naked, in a shower together, with John holding him tightly. He attempted to loosen John's hold, even though in his heart he didn't want to. He managed to turn around, getting a good look at the smaller boy. Their eyes met, and suddenly, Bobby's head was pulled down by John and their lips met.

Bobby responded, his hands encircling John and pulling him closer, eyes closing in surprise, which rapidly changed to contentment. His grip moved slowly downwards, and his fingers traced a path from John's upper back down to his hips, and back again. Still they kissed, John now mirroring the actions of Bobby.

John ceased running his hands up and down Bobby's back long enough to turn off the water. The thundering abruptly slowed to a trickle, and the only sound was the dripping of water from the shower head and the two teens. They finally separated, gazing deep into each other's eyes, neither speaking for fear of breaking the moment. Both became aware of an acute problem at the same time, and Bobby blushed.

John moved first, taking Bobby's hand and reaching for a couple of towels at the same time. Pulling the towels round their waists, they made their way into the bedroom. John pushed Bobby down onto his bed, and laid himself down next to Bobby, facing each other. John rested his hand on Bobby's hip, laying a proprietary claim to the ice-caster. Bobby tilted his head forward, and their lips met again.

Bobby was shocked at how rapidly things went from bad to good to better.

And then, to best.


	4. Afterwards

The next morning, the pair were conspicuous by their absence from the table in the kitchen. Jean cast about mentally for them, and found both deeply asleep in their room. She asked Kitty to go and knock on their door, to see if they were going to have some breakfast. Kitty nodded, and went to their room. As she walked round a corner, she didn't heard Jean calling her back, with a slightly panicked tone in her voice. She carried on walking. She knocked on the door and called out, "Breakfast's ready, boys!"

When there was no answer, she knocked again, slightly louder. "Bobby! John!"

There was still no answer. Mentally preparing herself, she phased her head and shoulders through the door, intending to yell at them from the other side of the door. What she saw, however, drove all thoughts of waking them from her mind.

They were curled up together in Bobby's bed, Bobby lying with his back to the wall. John was nestled against his chest, spooned against him, and Bobby's arm was carelessly flung over John's body, his elbow on John's hip and hand on his chest. They were both wearing shorts and shirts, for which Kitty was immensely grateful. Kitty's first thought was that the scene was one of the cutest things she had ever seen.

The second thought was that this was too perfect a blackmail opportunity to pass up. She smirked to herself and phased back through the door, then raced to her room to grab her camera.

This was too good a chance to miss, she thought.

Retrieving her camera, she returned at speed to their room, and got her breathing under control. Opening the door, she stepped in, raised the camera, focused, and took the photo. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to stop the flash, and the subsequent burst of light and the _click-whirr_ of the camera spitting out a photo woke John.

"Huh? Whaa? Who's there… Kitty! What are you doing here…"

He suddenly remembered where he was, what had happened, and whose arm was draped over his body. He struggled to sit up, but Bobby, more awake than he realised, kept his arm firmly in place, and he failed. He felt, more than saw, Bobby smile to himself.

"We'll be down for breakfast soon, Kitty. Just… give us a minute," he said, tightening his grip on John slightly, the smile becoming wider.

John, blushing, again tried to get up, but was again thwarted by Bobby's arm. Kitty left, closing the door behind her. The photo held in her hand was just starting to develop.

John turned over, lying on his back, and tilted his head to stare at Bobby.

"You realise that this is going to be all over the school in less than an hour," he said conversationally.

"You honestly think anyone's going to care? I mean, everyone's had their suspicions about you for some time."

"What! What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" John was outraged.

The smile was back on Bobby's face. He began idly stroking John's hair. "Well, let's see, you've never had a girlfriend, in all the time you've been at the Institute, you get on everyone's nerves with your constant bitching… need I go on?"

"Huh. Whatever," said John, wriggling deeper into Bobby's embrace. He was silent for a moment, then brightened. "Well, I suppose the one good thing about this is that we don't have to worry about-"

"Bobby! John! Get out here, NOW!" growled Logan from the other side of the door.

Both boys' faces dropped. They untangled themselves from the sheets and each other, and got up. "I was going to say, 'getting pregnant'," whispered John, "but I think that I've just found a worse choice."

"I heard that, Allerdyce!"

Bobby smothered a laugh.

"Now!"

They both struggled into trousers and shoes, and both made for the door, which opened to reveal-

-Logan.

There was a completely humourless expression on his face. That didn't worry the boys. That was his usual face. What did were the six sharp, shiny Adamantium claws that were in plain sight, three of them pointing directly at the two teens framed in the doorway. They both stopped dead.

He didn't say a word, but just glared at them.

"Are we going to get 'the talk' now?" asked John.

"No," ground out Logan. "You're going to get a warning. No more funny stuff. I don't care one way or the other whether or not you two have finally figured each other out. I don't care if you're gay, or not. No more funny stuff."

"Okay, we get it, thank you, Logan," said John, rolling his eyes.

Logan growled. John shut up.

He retracted the claws, the gashes healing instantly, only a single drop of blood running down his knuckle.

"Breakfast is ready. I suggest you get down there now." His face broke into a malicious grin, one of the scariest facial expressions the Wolverine had. "Kitty's put her photo on the table."

Both teens ran for the kitchen. As they burst through the door, there was a chorus of "Awwww, how cute!" from Rogue, Jubilee, Kitty, Syrin, Storm, Jean and all the other females still at the table. The boys were having a good chuckle over the picture, with a few comments of "Finally", "About time", and the like. The picture was being passed from one person to the next, all the way down the table. Horrorstruck, they could only stare. Jean noticed them.

"And here's the pair of them now!" she said, grinning.

---

Weeks passed, weeks that quickly developed into months, and these were some of the happiest for John and Bobby. They had their arguments, their fights, both with and without powers, but they always resolved them, and never went to sleep with an unresolved argument. For the most part, as with Bobby's coming out, nobody had a problem, and were happy for them. The one person who had a problem was dealt with quickly, very early on.

"It's not right, it's against the natural way of things."

There was a good-natured snort. "And you're not?"

"Excuse me?" Raised eyebrows.

"What is _Homo Superior_, if not different?"

"It's not the same, though." Shrugging.

"I fail to see any difference."

"Mutation is genetic. _That_ isn't."

"That hasn't been proven one way or the other. The debate about nature versus nurture is still raging."

"I still don't see why everyone has to be so happy about it."

"The main difference between being homosexual and being a mutant is, in most cases, the visibility. You, for instance, it's fairly obvious that you're a mutant. They've told people, but they were not obliged to. This is now visible, and they need to be accepted, and loved, for what they are, just as you were, for being a mutant. Now, that's enough on that subject. They've proved their commitment to one another, and I'll have them move into the teacher's wing in a week. They've agreed to stay on and help the staff with the new students who'll be joining us soon."

On the team, as well, they had turned into two of the best fighters, always looking out for each other and the rest of the team. On several Danger Room sessions, they had been the most deadly, combining their powers to overwhelm their opponents. They demonstrated this on the missions as well.

They settled comfortably into their teaching assistant roles at the mansion, eventually gaining the necessary qualifications through a correspondence course to become teachers. Bobby taught Science, along with Jean, and John taught Applied Powers, with help from Bobby. He was especially good with the students who were lacking the control or self-discipline of their abilities, as he had had the same problem, and could often relate to their situations.

When they made their relationship official, the small ceremony at the mansion was attended by the mansions residents and Mrs. Drake. She had finally gotten over the shock of having the destroyed police cruisers on her lawn, and the lesser shock of Bobby coming out, and she was determined to enjoy the celebrations. The expression on her face when she saw that Bobby's boyfriend was the firebug who had caused the damage was captured by Kitty's Polaroid camera. It took pride of place in the photo album, right next to a picture of the happy couple, grinning, holding champagne flutes.

---

**Five Years Later.**

They were getting ready for bed when John turned round to Bobby and said, "You know, I don't think I ever properly thanked Marie for what she did to you, and to me."

"What do you mean?" asked Bobby, pulling off his shirt. John stopped to admire Bobby's chest, and didn't hear the question. It was only when a pillow bounced off his face that he looked up.

"Stop drooling, John, and answer me," said Bobby, a smile playing on his face.

"I just think that if it hadn't've been for her, kissing you, then knocking me out, we'd still be wandering round here, looking for someone to live with, to love with. You know that we owe her our happiness."

Bobby stopped, and looked at John with a curious expression.

"What?"

"Mystique, I suggest you get out of here and don't come back. There's three telepaths in this school, plus the entire X-Men team."

"Huh? Mystique? Bobby, it's _me_," said John, completely confused.

"Oh," said Bobby lightly. "It's just that the John _I_ know and love would _never_ come out with such a sentimental and romantic line like that." He grinned wickedly.

John's eyes narrowed. "Very funny. Ha ha ha. You see this?" he pointed to his face. "This is me, being amused by your wit." He sprawled on the bed, and made no move to get up. Bobby sat down on the bed, and pushed him over. "Stop taking all the room," he muttered.

"Nope," said John. "I'm perfectly fine right where I- Hey! No powers! Jeez, that's _freezing!_"

"Thank you," said Bobby happily, his side once more free of Pyro. It was amazing, really, what an icy hand could do to get his side of the bed back. He immediately rolled over, and came face to face with John, who was glaring at him.

"You used powers," he muttered. Bobby silenced his protests with a kiss.

"Only when you took up the entire bed."

"You realise that we're acting like an old married couple?"

"Yep."

"You don't care, do you?"

"Nope."

John kissed Bobby, and said, "Neither do I."


End file.
